Jeff Eckhardt and Sean Farrell scored the goals as Fulham cruised to a comfortable win over lowly Wigan Athletic at Springfield Park this evening.
Latics boss Dave Philpotts described this lacklustre display as the worst performance since he had taken over. “I always try and look for the positives from a game whatever the result,” he said afterwards. “But this very time there were very few.”
The home side made the worst possible start when Jeff Eckhardt headed Gary Brazil’s cross past Neil Adkins from six yards out with just five minutes on the clock. But Latics failed to take a glorious chance to get back into the contest when referee Simon Bell pointed to the spot after adjudging that Eckhardt that pushed over Phil Daley only for Gary Worthington’s spot kick to be saved by Jim Stannard. It rather summed up Wigan’s day that the rebound fell kindly for Alan Johnson, whose header hit the crossbar with Stannard still on the floor.
The hosts didn’t create any further chances of any note and Fulham were able to make sure of all three points with fifteen minutes left. John Marshall found Farrell with a fine pass and the striker surged past Allen Tankard before striking a low shot past Adkins and into the corner of the net.
WIGAN ATHLETIC: Adkins; Collins, Johnson, Skipper, Tankard, Jones, Parkinson, Langley, Worthington (Patterson 73), Taylor (Sharratt 55), Daley.
FULHAM: Stannard; G. Thomas, Eckhardt, Nebbeling, Pike, Marshall, Scott, M. Kelly, Hails (Haag 60), Brazil, Farrell. Subs (not used): P. Kelly.
BOOKED: Scott.
REFEREE: S. Bell (Huddersfield)
GOALS: Eckhardt (5), Farrell (73).
ATTENDANCE: 2,202.
